Roy Rayment, a retired Telecommunications Technical Officer living in London, England, has been researching the surname Molen (his mother’s maiden name) for many years. He first became interested in the history of the Molen family in the 1960s, following the gift from his mother of an old family bible that had been handed down to her from her father.

Roy’s interest gradually developed into a full-scale One-Name Study, which he eventually registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies. Unfortunately Roy lacked the expertise required to design and test the search engines necessary to place much of the Molen One-Name Study data on line but help was at hand from Paul Millington, a professional computer engineer, who happened to serve with Roy on the Guild committee.

The Molen Archive first appeared on-line in the year 2009, following registration by Roy of the surname Molen on 14th November that year. Although the website is constantly expanding, much work remains to be done and Roy lives in hope that others with an interest in the Molen surname will come forward with more information or offers of help with the on-going research.

Funding

The costs of all of the research necessary to carry on the Molen One-Name Study and the costs of providing and maintaining the Molen Archive, together with its associated website, are borne entirely by Roy Rayment from a small pension.

However, if any of the Molens ever become rich, perhaps they might like to consider making a small donation in order to facilitate even more research!

Future Development

Plans are in hand to computerise several existing sets of records and to start a number of new research projects. Among these are research into Boyd’s Marriage Index, Burials, Census returns (1841-1901), Ecclesiastical probate (1450-1857), Medal awards, Official Notices, Scottish birth, marriage and death records (1855-date) and War Graves.

It is also hoped to start a photo gallery and a regular research bulletin, provided there is enough interest in these.

How to help

The best way of helping to expand the Archive is simply to send copies of any relevant documents or old family photos. Copies of birth, marriage, death and adoption certificates are particularly welcome, as are inscriptions from family bibles and funeral cards. Any information, no matter how small, about the various branches of the Molen family is always more than welcome!

Contacting the Archive Organiser

Please click here for details of how to contact the Archive’s organiser.